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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Sep 17.
Published in final edited form as: Eur J Clin Nutr. 2013 Apr 24;67(7):708–717. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2013.71

Table 2.

Risk factors for incidence of anemia during postpartum period (Hb <11)

No. of anemic patients Univariate rate ratio (95% CI)a P-valuea Multivariate rate ratio (95% CI)a P-valuea
Maternal age (years)
 <20 53 1.26 (0.91, 1.75) 0.06b 1.24 (0.88, 1.75) 0.03b
 20–24 110 1.0 1.0
 25–29 73 0.81 (0.60, 1.09) 0.77 (0.57, 1.05)
 ≥30 55 0.87 (0.63, 1.21) 0.81 (0.57, 1.15)
Baseline BMI (kg/m2)
 <22 56 1.13 (0.80, 1.60) 0.70b
 22–24.99 73 1.0
 25–29.99 77 0.90 (0.64, 1.23)
 ≥30 40 1.11 (0.75, 1.63)
Postpartum BMI (kg/m2)c
 <22 61 1.01 (0.70, 1.44) 0.87b
 22–24.99 57 1.0
 25–29.99 55 0.97 (0.67, 1.40)
 ≥30 29 0.90 (0.57, 1.41)
Baseline MUAC
 >Median 143 1.0 0.96b
 ≤Median 149 1.09 (0.87, 1.37)
Postpartum MUACc
 >Median 159 1.0 0.27b
 ≤Median 133 1.30 (1.00, 1.69)
No. of previous pregnancies
 0 (primigravida) 129 1.0 0.60b
 1 85 0.98 (0.74, 1.29)
 2 39 0.79 (0.55, 1.13)
 ≥3 38 1.03 (0.72, 1.48)
Weeks gestation at baseline
 ≥Median 153 1.0 0.66b
 <Median 139 1.04 (0.83, 1.31)
Baseline CD4 count
 ≥500 282 1.0 0.48b
 <500 10 1.08 (0.57, 2.06)
Postpartum CD4 countc
 ≥500 280 1.0 0.003d 1.0 0.003b
 <500 12 1.50 (0.83, 2.71) 1.73 (0.96, 3.17)
Socio-economic characteristics
Per day spending for food
  >500 189 1.0 0.38
  ≤500 103 1.12 (0.87, 1.43)
Marital status
  Married 189 1.0
  Other 103 1.04 (0.82, 1.33) 0.73
Education status
  0–4 28 1.40 (0.76, 2.60) 0.41b
  5–7 190 1.15 (0.69, 1.91)
  8–11 57 1.24 (0.71, 2.15)
  12 or More 16 1.0
Owns/possesses
  Sofa 231 1.06 (0.79, 1.40) 0.71
  No 61 1.0
  Television 129 1.17 (0.92, 1.47) 0.20
  No 163 1.0
  Cohabitates with partner 53 0.86 (0.64, 1.16) 0.33
  No 239 1.0
  Radio 238 0.76 (0.56, 1.02) 0.07 0.85 (0.63, 1.16) 0.32
  No 54 1.0 1.0
  Refrigerator 80 0.82 (0.64, 1.07) 0.14 0.88 (0.67, 1.16) 0.36
  No 212 1.0 1.0
  Fan 168 1.03 (0.81, 1.30) 0.81
  No 124 1.0
Filmer–Pritchett wealth score
  ≥Median 182 1.0
  <Median 110 0.92 (0.73, 1.17) 0.51
Dietary characteristics
 Consumed alcohol at enrollment 34 1.36 (0.91, 2.03) 0.14 1.27 (0.84, 1.92) 0.26
 No alcohol 148 1.0 1.0
History of meat use at enrollment
  At least one per month 220 1.0
  Less 72 1.02 (0.78, 1.33) 0.87
History of soil use at enrollment
  At least 1 per month 14 1.0
  Less 278 0.99 (0.55, 1.76) 0.97
Fe sups adherence during pregnancy
  ≤Median 77 1.0 1.0
  >Median 215 0.58 (0.45, 0.75) 0.001 0.60 (0.46, 0.80) 0.0004
Breastfeeding since last visit
  Yes 8 1.06 (0.52, 2.15) 0.87
  No 284 1.0
Iron intakec
  Tertile 1 12 1.0 0.76b
  Tertile 2 19 1.27 (0.61, 2.62)
  Tertile 3 10 0.75 (0.33, 1.75)
Vitamin C intakec
  Tertile 1 12 1.0 0.73b
  Tertile 2 16 1.12 (0.53, 2.36)
  Tertile 3 13 1.10 (0.50, 2.40)
Vitamin B12 intakec
  Tertile 1 22 1.0 0.07b 1.0 0.06b
  Tertile 2 7 0.82 (0.35, 1.93) 0.85 (0.36, 2.00)
  Tertile 3 12 0.72 (0.36, 1.46) 1.06 (0.45, 2.48)
Vitamin B6 intakec
  Tertile 1 15 1.0 0.32d
  Tertile 2 15 0.90 (0.44, 1.84)
  Tertile 3 11 0.62 (0.28, 1.35)
Folate intakec
  Tertile 1 13 1.0 0.73b
  Tertile 2 14 1.22 (0.57, 2.60)
  Tertile 3 14 1.09 (0.51, 2.31)
Heme iron intakec
  Tertile 1 35 1.0 0.12b 1.0 0.24b
  Tertile 2 6 0.57 (0.24, 1.37) 0.57 (0.19, 1.65)
  Tertile 3 0
Medical characteristics
 History of eclampsia 1 0.32 (0.05, 2.28) 0.26
 No 291 1.0
 Fansidar this pregnancy 45 0.82 (0.60, 1.13) 0.22
 No 247 1.0
 Diarrhea this pregnancy 11 1.10 (0.60, 2.02) 0.75
 No 281 1.0
 Vaginal bleeding this pregnancy 13 0.76 (0.44, 1.33) 0.34
 No 279 1.0
 Malaria this pregnancy (prior to enroll) 79 0.78 (0.60, 1.01) 0.06 0.80 (0.61, 1.04) 0.09
 No 213 1.0 1.0
 Presumptive malariac 2 0.68 (0.17, 2.72) 0.58
 No 290 1.0
 Postpartum malariac 54 1.39 (1.01, 1.90) 0.04 1.22 (0.88, 1.70) 0.23
 No 238 1.0 1.0
 Chlamydia 3 2.77 (0.87, 8.80) 0.08 2.70 (0.83, 8.79) 0.10
 No 289 1.0 1.0
Delivery characteristics
 Delivery type
  Spontaneous vaginal delivery 249 1.0 1.0
  Other 43 1.51 (1.09, 2.09) 0.001 1.58 (1.13, 2.22) 0.007
 Blood loss (hemorrhage/transfusion at delivery) 3 3.39 (1.08,10.59) 0.04 2.91 (0.90, 9.37) 0.07
 No 289 1.0 1.0

Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index;

a

CI, confidence interval; Fe sups, iron supplements; TSh, Tanzanian shillings. Risk ratio, confidence intervals and P-values are from Cox proportional hazards models.

b

P-value corresponds to trend test.

c

Time-varying covariates. Analysis performed using Andersen–Gill data structure, with 5136 observations during follow-up period.

d

Association was significantly nonlinear. P-value corresponds to test of overall significance.